El Rey

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El Rey

Ruins of the
King

The ruins of El Rey is a small post-Classic
Period archaeological site located just
south of Cancun's Hotel Zone across from
Playa Delfines. It was first sighted in the
16th century, rediscovered in 1842, and
finally excavated in 1954. It dates back to
200 BC and the site
takes its name from a skeleton uncovered
there and thought possibly to be a former
Mayan king.

The site’s guide reported that current
research suggests that it was used as a
meditation and spiritual retreat. The site
must have also been a prosperous trade
center as it had 47 storage vaults on raised
platforms, which had remnant artifacts from
many distant places. The site was accessed
by boats that came in from the lagoon side.
It has two main plazas flanked by two main
streets (most ruins have only one) and a
small pyramid topped with a vault. Inside
are fresco paintings that still reveal some
of the bright colors on the underside of the
ceiling.

Today, its only residents are the 1,500
iguanas who like to bask in the sun. The
guides tend to the iguanas and a local
university helps incubate the eggs.

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